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Study shows furin cleavage site is crucial for SARS-CoV-2 replication

In a recent bioRxiv* preprint paper, researchers from the United States demonstrate the pivotal role the furin cleavage site insertion in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike glycoprotein plays in viral replication and pathogenesis – highlighting, in turn, the need for mutation monitoring when developing therapeutics and vaccines.

27 Aug 2020

First lethal mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 developed

Army scientists have developed the first lethal mouse model of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, using mice that were genetically engineered to express the human ACE2 gene--a key mechanism by which the virus enters human cells.

27 Aug 2020

Improved type of PROTAC enhances intracellular accumulation and protein knockdown

Cancer therapies sometimes involve drugs that mediate the breakdown of specific intracellular proteins that participate in cancer formation and proliferation.

27 Aug 2020

Study offers hope for treatment of Krabbe disease

In one out of 100,000 infants, a mutation in the GALC gene causes an incurable, always fatal disorder known as infantile Krabbe disease, or globoid cell leukodystrophy. Most children with the condition die before they turn 2.

26 Aug 2020

UBC discovery may offer new treatment possibility for women with rare form of ovarian cancer

A recent finding by researchers at the BC Cancer Research Institute and the University of British Columbia may offer a new treatment possibility for people diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of ovarian cancer.

26 Aug 2020

Estradiol appears to help in female SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in August 2020 shows that the risk of infection is high for pre-menopausal women but the risk of death is much higher for men in the same age group and throws light on the protective nature of estradiol therapy in post-menopausal women.

26 Aug 2020

Blood transfusions protect the brain from stroke damage

Muscle weakness permeates through one side of your body and your speech slurs. It's a stroke. And you need to be rushed to the emergency room.

26 Aug 2020

Monoclonal antibodies may be a better choice than convalescent plasma for treating COVID-19

A team of researchers from the Netherlands demonstrated that prophylactic treatment with a high dose of human convalescent plasma or by using concentrated monoclonal antibodies could protect against disease following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in an animal model. However, no protective effect was observed with a ten-fold lower dose of convalescent plasma. The results are currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

25 Aug 2020

Advances in Virus Epigenetics

Growing evidence shows viruses exploit epigenetic processes to control their life cycles but epigentic regulation of viral infections is not fully understood.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 25 Aug 2020

Inhaled steroids reduce SARS-CoV-2-related genes in COPD

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* aims to explore the effects of treatment with ICS on the expression of specific genes related to SARS-CoV-2 infection in bronchial epithelial cells in a prospective interventional design.

25 Aug 2020

Antihypertensives reduce severity of Covid-19 infection and death

Medication for high blood pressure could improve Covid-19 survival rates and reduce the severity of infection - according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

25 Aug 2020

Re-designed natural enzyme could reverse nerve damage caused by stroke, spinal cord injury

A team of researchers from University of Toronto Engineering and the University of Michigan has redesigned and enhanced a natural enzyme that shows promise in promoting the regrowth of nerve tissue following injury.

25 Aug 2020

New approach involves "antivitamins" to develop new classes of antibiotics

Antibiotics are among the most important discoveries of modern medicine and have saved millions of lives since the discovery of penicillin almost 100 years ago.

25 Aug 2020

Single dose nasal vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 shows promise in animal studies

Now researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have worked on developing a candidate vaccine against the infection that could be administered in a single dose via a nasal spray rather than an injection. In their preliminary studies using lab mice, this single dose of the nasal vaccine successfully prevented the infection with the novel coronavirus.

24 Aug 2020

Genomic analysis reveals many animal species vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2

Now, a new genomics study by University of California, Davis, California researchers identifies a large number of mammals that can potentially be infected by SARS-CoV-2 via their ACE2 proteins.

24 Aug 2020

Excessive fructose consumption can result in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Excessive consumption of fructose - a sweetener ubiquitous in the American diet - can result in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is comparably abundant in the United States.

24 Aug 2020

Ferrets not susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection

A recent study by scientists at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University has revealed that ferrets are not susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection even if they are directly exposed to symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients for a prolonged time.

24 Aug 2020

A better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 in children

Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, have conducted a study showing that Hispanic ethnicity is associated with an increased risk of infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among children.

24 Aug 2020

Congenital disorder of fat metabolism can cause chronic hyperreaction of the immune system

Scientists at the University of Bonn identify previously unknown disease mechanism. A congenital disorder of the fat metabolism can apparently cause chronic hyperreaction of the immune system.

24 Aug 2020

Common high blood pressure medications do not increase risk of depression

None of the 41 most common high blood pressure medications increased the risk of depression, while nine medications appeared to lower it, according to a study from Denmark, published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

24 Aug 2020